The sad truth is not all mothers can produce enough milk for their babies
and in the USA we cannot just head over to our local human milk bank and
purchase a supply.  So, what is a mother to do?  Her baby must be  fed.  Rule no. 1:
Feed the Baby.  Take a mother who is living a  completely organic lifestyle
and ask her to feed her child 'standard' formula  and you have a meltdown mom.
I have had mothers crying at the thought of  poisoning their babies with 'non
organic' foods.  There really are families  who do not ever consume anything
that is not proven organic.  To them,  these formulas are the answer.  Is
there another one?  Is there an  option to offer them?  These are the people who
'know' how the 'enhanced'  got in the formulas and was manufactured.  These are
the people who would  breastfeed if they could, who are heartsick it is not
happening, and would  probably take 'casual donor milk' if they could find a
source they felt safe  about -- as in her diet was also completely organic.

I don't know enough about organics or organic formulas to provide an answer
to these families.  They tend to do their own research and find what works
for them and what they believe to be best for their baby.  Are they  completely
wrong?  Is there a source of information I should be sharing  (that is not
from the formula companies competing for their sale) that will  encourage them to
make a different choice?

I am thinking specifically of a client who has chosen to give her baby
organic formula due to weight gain issues bordering on FTT.  The weight is  coming
up, mom is working on correcting thyroid balances to get her supply back  up,
and would not even consider feeding her baby 'commercial formula' that is  not
organic.  Another family, same situation, was refusing to feed their  baby
anything but organic foods and the minimal milk from mother--and I do mean  less
than minimal, the amount that makes you truly worried for the baby.   Her
baby was not only not gaining, but losing.  She too did her research  and is
choosing to make her own formula with organic products. She is doing  this or lose
her baby to child protection services because of weight  gain/loss issues.
The threat was made and it was the only thing that got  her to really check out
her supply.  Her ped is just happy she is  feeding her baby and her baby is
growing, and the other mother was given horror  stories of babies who die from
unregulated formula.    I don't  tell mothers what to do, but I do like to
know if I should be telling them some  information about their choices that will
give them a fuller picture.  If  there is research that suggests that these
organic formulas are dangerous--more  risky than say straight cow's milk or a
homemade formula-- please direct me to  it and I will share it.

Just another example of LACTNET discussions coming along just as I am
dealing with the same issues....

Thanks,
Pam MazzellaDiBosco, IBCLC
FL, USA

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